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' H. GIBROWNQ PATENI'ED JULY 8, 1856.

fiw 3 W v EW v t M 5 UNITED STATES ATEN T OFFICE.

I'IIRIXM 0. BROWN, OF YELLOW SPRINGS, OHIO.

VISE.

v Specification of Letters Patent No. 15,277, dated July 8, 1856.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, H. C. BROWN, of YellowSprings, in the county of Greene and State of Ohio, have invented a newand Improved Adjustable Parallel Vise;-and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, Figure1 being a vertical section showing all the parts of the vise in theirpositions; Fig. 2, a front view of the movable jaw, the tightening nutbeing removed.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in both figures.

My improvements have reference to facilitating the operation of asliding ratchbeam; to a convenient mode of tightening the jaws againstthe article clamped; and to a peculiar mode of keeping the jawsparallel, and by the same means to adjust the parallelism and increasethe gripping power of the vise.

I employ a sliding beam C, provided with a ratch G, which is held by apawl a, for the purpose of allowing the movable jaw B, to be pushed in,or drawn out, to suit the size of the articles to be clamped, afterwardonly requiring the jaws to be tightened against the articles. The mainportion of the sliding beam, may be made of wood so that a comparativelysmall ratch bar will sufiice. The rear extremity of the beam may embracethe lower edge of a guide piece D; and in order to hold it up to saidguide piece, a small plate 7) or its equivalent may be secured to thebeam and slide in a groove 8, in the side of the guide piece, as shownin Fig. 1.

To lift the pawl a, in the most convenient manner, I employ thefollowing device A rod M is situated upon the top of the sliding beamand close to one side of the ratch G, and under the pawl a, which iswide enough to extend over it. It passes through both jaws, so that theouter end (Z, may be readily reached by the hand, when the outer jaw isto be moved. The rear end 0, is bent upward and enters an inclined holein the rear end of the sliding beam; while an inclined bend near thefront end, rests upon a wedge projection b, on the top of said slidingbeam, as represented in Fig. 1. Thus by pushing back the rod endwise,the bent portions of the rod ascend the inclined projection and hole ofthe sliding beam, and raise both ends of said rod equally andsimultaneously; and consequently lift the pawl out of the notches of theratch, and set the sliding beam free. When left free, the rod will slidedown to its lowest position again by its own weight and allow the pawlagain to enter the notches of the ratch.

I11 order to tighten the jaws against the articles, after having beenbrought into contact therewith by sliding the beam, a nut E, isemployed, and is provided with the ordinary winch handle to turn it. Therounded end z' of the ratch bar has a screw thread out upon it, to fitthe nut, as represented.

Back of this screw portion, is out a neck h of smaller diameter than thebar at either end thereof, and of suflicient length to allow the extentof tightening movement desired to be given to the movable jaw. A thincollar, composed of two halves g 9, (Fig. 2,) is secured in a circularrecess in the side of the aw, and fitting closely around the neck h,prevents the movement of the jaw upon the ratch bar farther than theshoulders at the ends of the neck will permit, and thereby inseparablyconnecting the ratch bar and movable jaw. The nut E, is held incontinual contact with the side of the jaw, by small hook projections,or clips, 1" 1" (or any equivalent means,) secured to the jaw, andreaching over a flange Z on the inner end of the nut.

A brace rod I, extending from the lower end of the movable jaw to therear end of the sliding beam, serves to keep the jaws parallel. And inorder to adjust the jaws to exact parallelism, or to vary them slightlytherefrom, the lower end of the rod is provided with a screw thread, onwhich a nut L turns. Said nut has a flange m on its inner end and theouter projecting end is provided with a winch handle, so that it may beused for auxiliary tightening, in instances where the principaltightening nut is not found to possess sufiicient power. This offers agreat advantage, since the effect of a screw of the same power, at thelower end of the jaw, is usually three or four times as great as whenapplied on the ratch bar. The upper end of the brace rod is jointed tothe rear end of a horizontal rod H, which extends along the under sideof the sliding beam 0, and passes freely through both jaws of the vise.The front end of this rod is providedwith a screw thread 6 on which anut is screwed outside of the movable jaw, as represented. The rodslides freely under the sliding beam, fitting into a shallow groove inthe under side of said beam, or passing through a loop, or staple,driven into it, in order to keep the rod securely in its proper place.Vhen the lower nut L, is turned to adjust the jaws to the properparallelism, the nut on this rod H, should also be turned, so as to keepit in contact with the jaw, and keep the jaws in the position given bythe adjusting nut L. The jaws may also be adjusted parallel with eachother, or to any angle therefrom, by simply adjusting the nut on the rodH. The jaws may also be adjusted by moving the lower end of the bracerod up and down in a slot 2), in the lower end of the movable jaw, andsecuring it in any desired position therein by nuts and screws, or pins,or other convenient means. This rod is of great consequence in allowingthe movable jaw B, to be moved any distance by the nut E within thelimits allowed by the neck h, without disturbing the parallelism, orrelative po sitions of the jaws, when once set. WVithout it, all themovement of the movable jaw, in the act of tightening, just so muchchanges the relative positions or directions of the two jaws.

Fig. 3, represents a modification, showing how the brace rod I, and rodH, may be applied to the ordinary screw vise, and thus secure theadvantages of an adjustable parallel vise, with the means of auxiliarytightening, by little additional expense. In this case, the brace rodextends up to the guide piece, and the rod H passes through its up perposition and is held there by a screw and nut, or any other convenientmeans. To adjust the jaws, the lower end of the brace rod may move upand down in a slot in the lower end of the movable jaw, and held in anypart thereof, by nuts n 'n, as represented.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis 1. The rod M, arranged and operating so that, by pushing it backendwise, both ends will be simultaneously raised, and thereby lift thepawl a from any part of the ratch.

2. I also claim adjusting and retaining the jaws parallel with eachother or to any desired angle, either by varying the length of the bracerod, between its points of contact at the top and on the movable jaw, orby varying the position of the lower point of contact, substantially inthe manner clescribed.

3. I also claim the use of the adjustable sliding rod H, arranged andoperating in connection with the brace rod I, substantially in themanner and for the purposes herein set forth.

HIRAM C. BROWN.

Witnesses:

R. T. Oscoon, J. S. BROW'N.

